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If you would have asked most hockey fans in September or even in February, which teams would have been in this year’s Stanley Cup Finals, I doubt you would have received today’s answer. Tonight, the puck will drop between the #8 seeded Los Angeles Kings and the #6 seeded New Jersey Devils. Both of these teams have without a question shown that they deserve to be here. The question is, what happens now?

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals feature 2 visibly different teams but if you take a closer look, they might just be a little similar.

Goalies. One young and one “old.” These goalies are not as opposite as they seem. They’re both 2 of the best in the NHL this year and their team’s success reflect their greatness. The Kings have Jonathan Quick, a pretty young goalie who has elevated his team’s play this postseason and is only averaging just 1.54 goals allowed. While the Devils have the legend himself, Martin Brodeur. Brodeur is truly the best of the best. If you didn’t believe it when the Rangers/Devils series began, I’m sure you believe it now.

Push through the playoffs. When you think about it, both teams have really proved all of the NHL wrong this year. While the Kings are the bigger story having easily plowed their way through the playoffs by beating the top-seeded teams early and quickly, the Devils are pretty much in the same boat. Their series’ might have gone a little longer but they showed that they can beat the best as well.

Captains. Dustin Brown. Trade rumors about Brown started in the middle of the season but he has really stepped up his game and proven to be extremely important to the Kings. It really doesn’t look like anyone’s getting traded now. On the other side you have Zach Parise. He is also about to be a free agent and rumors are running rampant. Parise is just another important piece in this Devils team and has shown that each night of the playoffs. While both Brown and Parise want to keep the rumors out of the finals, they also need to play well and be motivators to their teams. Another interesting thing about Browne and Parise, whichever captain wins will be just the second American-born captain to win the Stanley Cup.

Another important factor…

The Fans. Los Angeles is the city that has always rallied around its sports teams but this time its hockey. Will the LA fans show up and root for their team? Now that the Lakers are out of the playoffs, the Kings are really the next best thing for Los Angeles. And then you have New Jersey. The Devils are really the only professional sports team that New Jersey has left. The fans have been vocal throughout the series with the Rangers and you can bet that they will show all of the state’s support in the finals.

Truthfully, I have zero idea who is going to win but I’m a Jersey girl so I’m going with the Devils. With Marty Brodeur on their side, can they really go wrong?

No, this title has nothing to do with the NBA or the MLB, believe it or not, it has everything to do with the NHL. And while the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are in the midst of a pretty heated Eastern Conference Series, the Los Angeles Kings are just sitting pretty while they wait to see who they will face in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. The Kings, a #8 seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have proven that they are clearly more than their #8 seed represents. They have knocked off #1 Vancouver, #2 St Louis, and #3 Phoenix. And the thing is, none of these series went to 7 games. In fact, the Kings have made playoff hockey look easy.

So while its still to early to look ahead to the Stanley Cup Finals, both NY and NJ fans should be a little wary. The Kings look unstoppable right now and seem to have all the weapons. Great goal-tending mixed with just the right amount of offense and defense. Regardless of who wins this “Battle for Hudson” can either of the teams actually beat the Los Angeles Kings?

Solely based on the many playoff series’ of the East and the West I’m going to say that there is definitely more parity in the East and they are definitely on the stronger side of the playoffs this year. However, the Kings are a #8 seed and they beat #1 Vancouver, easily. If everyone on the Kings plays well, including all-star goalie, Jonathan Quick, they are unstoppable. The Kings are also averaging 36.3 hits per game and have been able to kill off almost every power play penalty that comes there way. They have also beaten their opponents so easily that they have been well-rested before starting each series and the Stanley Cup Finals will be no different. For now, they can enjoy watching 2 other teams fight it out to earn the right to play against them.

Either way, the Stanley Cup Final is most probably going to come down to the goalies. There will be no shortage of comparisons regardless of the opponent and that is for sure.

If you want to look at this past season, the Kings and Rangers have only played each other once, and the Devils only twice. All 3 games were in the first 3 weeks of the season. While the Kings beat the Rangers and the Devils beat the Kings, these games have really no indication of who will win now.

Being that I am from New Jersey, I will definitely be rooting for whichever team emerges from the East. But honestly, who wouldn’t want to see Los Angeles win? They are already on this improbably run and winning the Stanley Cup would finally earn their team some NHL respect.

But, let’s not look ahead anymore because we’ll have plenty of time to preview the 2012 Stanley Cup. If the Rangers/Devils rivalry is any indication of what is to come, then tonight’s game 6 match-up should be a good one. Here’s hoping it goes to a game 7.